Sure sounds like it reading what the Observer’s Richard Rubin blogs:

The city’s 2006-07 budget will be nasty. Charlotte needs more police officers and better roads – and the money just isn’t there.

A tax increase – whether it’s property taxes or one of these less-traditional options – seems more likely every week.

Rubin adds that the city council has already kicked around impact fees, land-transfer taxes, and garbage-collection fees. Recall that the city hiked water and sewer fees and the business privilege license last year while increasing spending by 13 percent. Overall, city revenue is growing at about half the spending rate, but still growing. The general fund alone is projected to hit $425 million in 2007 up from $377 million in 2004. Where the hell is it all going?

What is it? Does city manager Pam Syfert only have unsustainable spending increase budgets in her playbook? Surely we do not need another double-digit spending increase this year too. Charlotte city government absolutely, positively needs to grow by one-quarter in two years? That’s madness. That makes drunken sailors look like uptight skinflints.

Here’s a crazy idea. Call the city department heads together and tell them they get a six-percent increase over last year, figure it out and make it work. Happens everyday in the private sector and around family dinner tables.

It is called living within your means. Charlotte might want to try it before time runs out.